Your bestie (or sister) finally asked — you’re going to be a bridesmaid! The next few months (or even years) are going to be a whirlwind of planning, preparation and parties. If you’re going to go down in history as the best bridesmaid ever, you’ll need to up your game. Here, House of Fraser shows you how to be a good bridesmaid.
- Wear the dress
Planning a wedding is stressful. From booking photographers to arranging a seating plan that won’t result in World War 3, the bride has a lot on her plate — the last thing she needs is you moaning about your bridesmaid dress.
By all means offer your opinion, but don’t be THAT girl who is constantly negative. It doesn’t matter if it’s a ruffled satin blancmange dress or lime green with pink polka dots, it’s her day and you should respect her wishes. Suck it up and keep the drama to a minimum. Plus side is weddings are always fun and just wear some beautiful make up and you will still feel like it’s going to be a great day regardless of the dress style on your pear shape (in my case)!
- Make sure you’re 100% invested
You’re a bridesmaid — great! You get to wear a fancy dress and be in all the photos — but that’s not all your role requires. You’ll attend endless dress fittings and rehearsals, and deal with panicked calls from the bride about the colour of her wedding favours at 2am.
If you’re not prepared to get involved and attend all of the events, don’t say yes. You’re either in or you’re out — there’s no middle ground. Either commit 100% or kindly decline. Every bride is different, some may not want you to be so hands on and others expect it, so don’t be afraid to ask. I have learnt from being a bridesmaid twice recently that every wedding is so different!
- Start saving in advance
Following on from the last point, the best bridesmaids always start saving in advance. While everyone knows how expensive getting married is, few consider how much bridesmaids have to shell out.
From hen parties to wedding presents, the costs can quickly mount up — you may even be asked to pay for your dress, shoes, makeup and hair too. Give yourself a head start and start saving as soon as you’re asked. In my case my sister is buying our dresses, but to a set budget. So most likely we will buy our shoes and accessories, like for brothers wedding I purchased my shoes.
- Get to know the other bridesmaids
On the run-up to the big day, you’ll spend a lot of time with your fellow bridesmaids. From the bride’s family members to work colleagues and school friends, bridesmaids can be a mixed bag and you may not always know everyone.
To make the bride’s life easier, get to know the other bridesmaids. You’ll enjoy it more and could even make a friend for life.
- Plan a considerate hen party
As a bridesmaid, you’ll be responsible for giving your bride a first-rate send off into married life. The key to planning a successful hen party is to be considerate.
It’s common sense really: if your bride loves make up and pampering, she’s probably not going to enjoy quad biking in the mud. Likewise, if she has said she doesn’t want a stripper, chances are she doesn’t want a stripper! Choose an activity that you know she will like to stop the hen party from falling flat. My sisters hen party is going to be a tricky one to plan, as she’s pretty fussy! But I already have some amazing ideas and have really thought about what she would like, as well as asking her close friends for ideas.
- Create emergency kits for the wedding day
The wedding day has arrived. A strap has snapped on a bridesmaid’s dress and the bride is fussing over her hair not being quite right — that’s where you come in.
As a perfectly prepared planning superstar, you’ve cleverly packed all of the essentials into your handbag. Tissues? Check. Hair clips? Got them. Safety pins? Of course! There’s nothing you’re not prepared for — a sign of a brilliant bridesmaid. I am one of those organised crazy people who carry plasters and tissues everywhere, weddings day’s are no different and you will be surprised how often you will need these things when emotions are running high.
- Be the peacemaker
While you may be the perfect bridesmaid, others may leave a lot to be desired! Bridesmaid drama is not uncommon — in fact, it’s almost a staple of any wedding!
It’s easy to take sides and get involved in petty squabbles about what time the hen party should start or how unflattering the dress is, but you should be the bigger person. Mutiny in Team Bridesmaid will stress out the bride, so always try to keep the peace.
I hope you enjoyed these tips, and remember every wedding and bride is different. As long as you are happy, 100% committed and ready to work your bridesmaid socks off then the day is going to be a great success. Plus wearing a sweet dress on the day is always good fun.
